by Alexia Ward
“Ah, no. Make that twelve minutes and twenty-two seconds,” Harry corrected.
Victor choked back a laugh. This Harry guy was quite amusing. He obviously suffered from OCD, which was ironic. The more someone tried to control the uncontrollable, like a constant not a variable like time, the more chaotic things got. The only thing someone with OCD garnered in life was worry and stress. Harry was a prime example of it. He needed a polar opposite companion to remedy that, an easygoing mate who would help him relax and enjoy life.
But Harry’s problem didn’t interest Victor. Steve did.
He pretended to focus his attention on the scarce menu list while he leaned closer to the stained glass to listen.
“Don’t worry, Harry. It’s only eight thirty. Our appointment with Officer Reinhold is at nine fifteen. We have plenty of time to eat and then get an Uber car to drive us to the station.”
“Yeah, I guess.” There was a pause while Victor heard a waitress walk up to their table. “Good morning, gentlemen. Let me fill your coffee mugs for you. Will you be ordering one of our specials or do you want to enjoy our hot breakfast buffet?”
Harry answered for both of them. “The buffet, please.”
“Okay, just serve yourselves, gentlemen. I’ll be back to refill your mugs soon.” Footsteps alerted Victor of her departure.
“I hope you don’t mind I answered for you, Steve. But since we’re pressed for time, I figured the buffet would be the faster choice.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the buffet I want. Did you see those huge blueberry waffles up there? My mouth is watering.”
Victor covered his lips to prevent his laugh from being heard.
Steve used to have a ravenous appetite when they’d been together. It seemed his stomach still lacked a bottomed pit.
“Before we head to the buffet table, I have to ask you something. I wanted to ask you this yesterday but forgot. Did Officer Reinhold tell you anything about the missing persons’ cases over the phone? Did he say there was a correlation between them?”
Victor’s already cold blood turned to freezing in his veins as he harked the rest of their conversation. He shivered in fear.
“No, he said he couldn’t discuss the cases over the phone, but that we would discuss them in the meeting this morning.”
“I hope we get a lead because Brett wants an update by noon today.”
“Boy, there’s no pressure there, it there?” Steve scoffed.
“Well, you did promise our boss the story of the year. He wants to make sure we’re working hard to make it happen.”
“That and because he is a cheapskate. He doesn’t want to spend more than he has to for our accommodations while we’re here.” Steve chuckled.
Harry joined in the laughter. “Okay, let’s serve ourselves. I’m starving.”
Victor waited until he heard them get up and walk to the buffet table before he placed his call.
“Hey, Victor,” Luca answered. “So was your trip successful? Did you find out what Steve is doing in Hell?”
“Yeah, and it’s not good. Not good at all.”
Chapter Eight
Time refused to budge as Victor observed the almost frozen hands on his Rolex watch. He wished Luca would get here fast.
He’d followed the red Uber car from the hotel to the police station, making sure he remained two car lengths’ behind. He couldn’t risk being spotted.
Steve and Harry had entered the police station half an hour ago. They could be coming out any second. If that were the case, then Victor couldn’t wait around for Luca’s arrival. He’d have to tail them once more, making sure they were safe.
But just when he thought his patience had run dry and he’d have to start pulling his hair out, he spotted Luca’s brown Tucson Hyundai rolling down the street.
Victor stuck his hand out of his window, motioning his brother of his position. Noticing Victor’s signal, Luca parallel parked behind him.
Getting out of the car, Luca glanced all around as if he were making sure no one spotted his movements. Victor rolled his eyes at Luca’s sketchy behavior.
When Luca slipped into the passenger’s seat beside his brother, Victor huffed. “Could you be any more conspicuous?”
“What? I wanted to make sure no one saw me getting into your car.” Luca raised his open hands in an inquisitive gesture.
“No one knows who we are. It’s not like we’re on a stakeout. But by the way you acted with your shifty eyes, it looks like we are.”
Luca scoffed, slapping his knee. “But you are on a stakeout, aren’t you?”
“Ah yes, but no one needs to know that but us.” He shook his head dismissively. “Anyway, luckily no one noticed your odd behavior. So what took you so long to get here? You said you’d be here in ten minutes.”
“I would have made it here on time if Father didn’t corner me.”
The hairs on the back of Steve’s neck stood on end while a chill of panic rolled over his stomach. “Does he know what I’m up to? Does he know Steve is in town?”
“Relax. You’re being paranoid. Steve’s been in town less than twenty-four hours. How could Father know he’s here so quickly?”
Victor combed his fingers nervously through his thick raven hair, pushing it out of his eyes. “You know he’s got eyes and ears all over town. Someone could have spotted Steve and told Father.”
“Well, as far as I know, Father suspects nothing. He called me to let me know he’s leaving town for a few days.”
“That’s good. Hopefully, I can get Steve to leave before he comes back.”
“Yeah.” Luca tapped his index finger against his pursed lips. “He got a phone call from Stellan right before he called me into his study to talk to me.”
“Stellan? Stellan never speaks to Father. When’s the last time they saw each other?” Stellan Svork was another elder vampire who lived in South Haven, Michigan. Although there was no animosity between the elder vampires, there wasn’t any camaraderie either. The elders liked their space, dominating their territory without any interference or meddling from another elder.
“I don’t know, decades, I suppose.” Luca shrugged,
“That’s what I thought. If they haven’t spoken in that much time, why did Stellan want to talk to him?”
Luca shook his head. “Actually, Stellan was returning Father’s phone call.”
“Really? Did Father tell you why he called him?”
Luca sighed. “He just said there’s been a problem brewing in town, and apparently Stellan’s been seeing the same pattern happening in South Haven.”
“Hmm, interesting. I wonder if it has to do with why Steve is in town.”
“You mentioned he’s doing a story on the missing persons’ cases?”
“Yeah, do you think that’s what has Father worried, too?”
“Probability is high that it could be. Father has been drilling discretion in us for years. If a vampire went rogue and decided to drain humans of all their blood and then dispose of their bodies, Father wouldn’t be happy,” Luca theorized.
Victor swept his hand across the wheel. “How can a vampire go rogue without Father knowing? That’s impossible. If someone did go rogue, Father would have snuffed him out.”
“But…” Worrisome thoughts swirled in Victor’s mind, inducing a migraine. “What if it’s not a rogue vampire? What if it’s a rogue wolf shifter?”
“Could be.” Luca nodded, his eyes widened. “That would make more sense.”
Horror shook his whole being. “Oh, God. If that’s the reason so many people have disappeared, then Steve is in more danger than I thought. Somehow I have to get him to leave Hell as soon as possible.”
Chapter Nine
“This is simply ridiculous!” Harry rumbled.
He hadn’t stopped fidgeting in his seat for the past forty minutes.
“Officer Trent said Officer Reinhold had been called away on a case and that he’s on his way back to the station,” Steve remi
nded him.
“Why can’t another officer talk to us instead? Why do we have to wait for Reinhold?” The crease between Harry’s brows narrowed.
“I asked, but a couple of officers are out sick with the flu. They’re short staffed. No one is free to be interviewed.”
Harry rubbed his palms. Steve could see their pinkness turn to red. “It’s not that anyone isn’t free. It’s that no one wants to participate in our interview.”
Steve had to agree with Harry’s assessment. In his experience, police officers always shied away from the media. They feared their words would be misconstrued.
Upon further reflection, Steve could say everyone shied away from the media. Thanks to amateur journalists and bloggers out there who craved for their fifteen minutes of fame, the Internet was saturated with fake news. It was difficult to know what was real news and what wasn’t.
No wonder no one wanted to be interviewed nowadays. It made professional journalists’ like himself, jobs much harder.
He wondered if Guy Thicke was one of these fake news bloggers, as well. Had those pictures and video he posted on his blog been conjured, a hoax? Were they a ploy to attract visitors to his site?
Maybe law enforcement got involved and forced him to stop posting the fake photos and videos.
But if that were the case, then they’d have forced him to delete them from his blog, as well. Which he didn’t.
Apprehension smothered him. Had he hyped up this investigation and asked Brett to foot the bill on this project based on fake news?
If yes, then Steve could kiss his career good-bye. He’d sink Harry along with him.
He shrugged away the dark thoughts from his mind. He had to think positive. Even if Guy Thicke was a liar and staged the video and photos, there were all those people who had gone missing.
That was real, and that was why they were here waiting for Officer Reinhold.
And just when his train of thought returned to their man of interest, Steve heard a familiar voice say, “So were there any messages while I was gone?”
Officer Trent spoke to a stout, overweight man in a corduroy jacket and blue jeans. The man tried to cover his receding hairline with a comb-over. He’d done a lousy job because the gel he’d used clumped his hair, making it seem like he had lesser hair than he actually had.
Officer Trent jerked his chin in their direction. “No, no message. But Steve Cain and Harry Firth have been waiting to talk to you for a long time.”
A look of annoyance washed over his eyes before he forced a smile as he turned toward them.
Walking over to them with his hand extended, he greeted them. “I’m Officer Reinhold. We spoke on the phone the other day, Mr. Cain. I’m so sorry for making you wait this long. It’s just been a crazy morning.”
“That’s okay,” Steve answered, though he could sense Harry seething beside him.
He waved toward the hallway. “Why don’t you come with me where we can talk privately?”
They followed him to a door in the back of the building. When he opened it, Steve was shocked. It was an interrogation room. The dark mirror that ran across the back wall and the rusty metallic table with uncomfortable foldable metal chairs gave it away.
Officer Reinhold appeared to pick up on Steve’s thought because he said, “Sorry, but this is the only room that’s free where we can talk privately without any interruptions.”
“That’s all right. We don’t mind, as long as we get on with the interview.” Steve forced a grin while it seemed to him Harry’s frown lines etched deeper in his skin.
Officer Reinhold motioned to the chairs next to the door. “Please have a seat, gentlemen.”
The second Steve sat, he stared at the wide mirror and wondered if Officer Reinhold told them to sit on this side so that they could be in view by whoever spied on them from the other side of it.
Steve and Harry weren’t suspects, and he resented the fact that they were being treated with such disrespect. He itched to get up and storm out of there. But if he did then he’d never get the answers he was waiting for.
Swallowing his pride, he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. “I hope you don’t mind if I record our interview?”
Officer Reinhold leaned back in his chair. “Of course not.”
Harry motioned to his camera casing. “Can I also take pictures?”
Officer Reinhold’s expression hardened. “I prefer no pictures.”
Speechless, Harry looked at Steve with frustration shining in his brown eyes. “Okay, then, I guess I’ll just sit here and let Steve take the lead.”
Steve glanced at him offering him a consoling quick grin. Then he focused his attention back on the subject of this interview.
“So, Officer Reinhold, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?”
“Well, I’ve been with the Hell’s Police Department for about twenty years. I’ve worked as a detective in homicide for the last three years.”
“Officer Reinhold, what can you tell us about the missing persons’ cases that have occurred in the past few months?”
Expressionless, Officer Reinhold exhaled slowly before replying. “I’m afraid because the cases are still open, I can’t really discuss them with you.”
Taken aback, Steve rebutted, his voice rising an octave, “But you said you were willing to discuss the cases with me?”
He raised his index finger in the air. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cain, if you got that impression from our phone conversation. But I never said that. I simply said that I would talk to you.”
“So you wasted our time and money making us come here for nothing?” Steve said, standing.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cain, but I can’t discuss any individual case. We can’t compromise our leads or the investigations by discussing them with the media at this time.”
Steve looked at Harry who shrugged. He obviously didn’t know what they should do next.
Steve was stupefied. He needed to find a loophole in Officer Reinhold’s reasoning and get him to confide anything that could help them. Without his aid, their ship would sink and them along with it.
The image of Brett’s fuming face burned in Steve’s mind. Oh, Brett was not going to like this. Not one bit.
Chapter Ten
“So how was it?” Luca asked, drumming his hands on his lap with apparent restlessness.
He and Victor had been sitting in Victor’s car waiting for Steve and his friend to exit the police station.
“How was what?” Victor asked, not following his brother’s train of conversation.
“Seeing Steve again. He’s been gone for almost eight years. He must have changed, so must have your feelings.”
Steve looked as handsome as he did the day they met at the library ten years ago. They had both been reaching for the same book, To Kill a Mocking Bird when they bumped into each other.
They started to talk, each revealing their interests in the story and the acclaimed author, both of which were ahead of their time.
Fascinated by Steve’s insight and the joyous spark in his sapphire-blue eyes, Victor had asked him out for coffee.
One thing led to another, and they began to date. It was many months after that before Victor had enough courage to tell Steve of his true nature.
Initially, Steve didn’t take the confession well. In truth, he didn’t believe Victor until Victor let his vampire canine teeth that hid inside his gums slide out. Then Steve had felt deceived.
It took several months and Victor proclaiming his love for Steve to come around to forgive him and admit he loved Victor, too.
The gullible fool Victor was, he’d told his father about his feelings for Steve and that he wanted to live with him.
It was the first and only time Victor had been in love and foolishly believed his father would celebrate in his son’s joy and support his decision.
But Helder Valente was an elder vampire who had survived for hundreds of years for a reason. He’d turned his non-beating heart to st
one centuries ago. He couldn’t possibly fathom the concept of love, even for the children he’d turned.
No, all Helder Valente understood was the law of survival and prosperity. He didn’t waste his time on silly notions like love and devotion. He focused more on fear, respect, and power. He believed any other emotion made vampires weak.
Helder became furious upon hearing the news. He knew Victor was seeing a human, but he never imagined it was more than a fling, or that Victor would fall in love with the human and want to live with him.
No son of his would run off with a human. He looked down his nose at Victor, calling him weak, a failure, and a disappointment.
To punish Victor’s insubordination, Helder threatened to have Steve killed if Victor followed through with his plans to leave.
Wanting to protect the only man he’d ever loved, he’d begged his father to leave Steve alone. He promised to abandon Steve. But Helder had said that was not good enough. Hell was a small town, and there would always be temptation for them to reunite.
So with his father’s help, Victor had cast a spell to suppress Steve’s memory of him. Helder found Steve a journalist’s job in Lansing. He made sure the human left Hell and Livingston County for good.
But now somehow Fate had brought Steve back to Hell.
The moment Victor bumped into him, all his emotions and memories of their time together came flooding back.
He sighed with longing before answering his brother’s question. “It was as if nothing changed. Yes, eight years have passed, and Steve is a little older, but he’s still the man I love with all my heart.”
Sadness reflected in Luca’s gray eyes when he gazed at his brother. “You still love him that much, even after all this time. You’re going to have to let him go again. It ripped your heart to do it the first time. What will it do to you this time?”
Tears brimmed in Victor’s eyes while his non-beating heart ached. He wiped them and sniffled. “I don’t know. But I will do whatever it takes to get him out of here, far away from Father and far away from whatever is happening here.”
